San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-12-30
FRIDAY, DECEMBER, 80, 1887.
LIFE FOR A LIFE.

The Great Teacher, whose accepted
followers take his name and bear the
appelation Of Christians, once said
"Greater love hath no man this, that he
lay down his life for his friends" This
utterance OF the Nazsrine mechanic,
teacher, philosopher, enthusiast and
martyr has gone out into all the world,
q ID the self.sacritice that 1t iDculoates
has been made the theme OF pulpits and
poets from the day OF his death until
this present. Yet strange, and passing
strange, those who dwell most tenderly
and lovingly and persistertly upon the
teachings Of this man, and recall with
dearest devotion his self-saorificing life
given for others, have the very least to
say about the selfsacrifice OF the world
around them. They seem to think that
because this self.ssorifice Is not directed
into churchly channels that 1t must have
q different soul and somehow be Of an
inferior quality to that which moved
the heart Of the son Of Joseph and of
Mary.
This lack Of appreciation does not
vitiste the truth that all self-sacrifice 10
OF the same ennobling character and lifts
the one who practices Ii little near the
heights Of manhood. Examples OF self
sacrifice are, not rare 10 the world; Of men
who have given a life for q life and gone
down 10 death and everlasting honor In
the noble attempt to save human life.
Texas has been cursed from one end Of
the land to the other because few train
robberies have been committed, and the
whole people held up to execration
Two weeks ago q railroad engineer in
this state deliberately gave his life to
save the lives Of passengers on train,
not his train, and who has given the
generous deed Its fitting setting In the
Illuminated pages OF the press? Where
Is the mention made of this deed of
heroism; as deliberate, as unselflsh as
purely self.sacrificing, as practically
benefcient as any yet recorded in hu-
man annals, ard yet philanthropy has
the lock- jaw concerning the noble act.
The engineer referred to was Charles
Woods who was travelling nOrthward
on passenger engine between San
Marcos and Austin. He was of duty
and was returning to bis own train
riding with his brother engineer. The
night was very dark and little before
midnight the passenger engine struck
steer upon the track and was thrown
from the rails, but not overturned. The
shock threw the engineer who had his
hand on the lever clear out Of the cab
and hurled the fireman into q corner
and doubled him up. Woods maintain
ed his place In the cab and seeing the
situation, instead Of jumping to save
his own life as he might easily have
done, remarked,-"I know / am dead
man but 1 must save these passengers"
and jumping to the lever reversed the
engine and In so dong lost his life.
With his had olutched fast upon the
lever the engine turned over, he was
caught beneath Ii and crushed to death,
and was so found stiff and cold with his
hard, horny hand upon the handle that
saved train full Of strangers st the ex-
pense Of his own life. The cspsizing OF
the engine threw the fireman out Of
the cab and he YVES saved.
Noble Charley Woods was one OF the
saviors of this generation. 1t matters
little what outside blackness may have
olung 10 him 10 his rough contact with
the world, hs was clean inside. The
dirt does not 60 more than skin deep in
such mans nature, and he is much
more worthy to stand before the eternal
whiteness as q good example OF q man
who has done what no could, than are
those priests who minister to self
In the name Of religion. TIE world
today is full of such saviOrs, tunnelling
under ground, blowing the raging deep,
conducting the traffic Of 3 ma
ton, where the lightnings Of
heaven are its directors; bearded,
amy, hard handed, many Of them \
-eioed, and few perhaps wearing
= <6szelIc sOftnesS, but heroes |